Archived Be Bold!

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pellinore

Life sucks and nothing good can come of it.
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Really? How is "be bold" any better than trying to Vibe things up??
 
It's like "vibe on steroids" or "vibe overkill".
Translation: We want you to like us so we'll accept any outrageous treatment from guests including (but not limited to) scamming, coupon/return fraud, out & out lying about prices, demanding compensation for frivolous/entitlement reasons.
 
Basically, Target has become a gimp were it's sex slaves to serve that gimp to help it's master love the gimp.
 
It the only really thing Target has left its boxes of wonderful ideas. They want guests so bad to make purchases by having a guest is always right type of attitude. They should know that this will end up biting them in the butt later on but yeah all wall street cares about right now is revenue. They will give companies more time to raise profits.
 
This is so amusing at our store bc our AP (yes, our ONE AP) will talk to anyone doing crazy things to "be bold" (taking too many or incorrect coupons, for example) and my favorite GSA has told me she refuses to "be bold". Basically the only people pushing this shit are the ETL and his little minion GSTL haha. So when they're around, I'll be a tiny bit bold, but when they're not, I refuse to help people get away with that shit
 
Being bold is a slippery slope. Yeah, you made that $15 sale, but it cost you $20. Regardless of what retail workers say, most shoppers aren't stupid. They know that item is $80, but they also know they can get us to knock $30 off of it by challenging it and/or making a scene. A couple brought in a 40" Element TV box with a 32" Astar TV with no receipt that was not purchased at our store and long story short they gave them a $400 gift card despite my protests.

I tell my team (E&E) to be bold where it counts. If the guest is on the fence financially with something they need (HDMI cable for Blu-ray player), especially something with a huge margin...give them a small hand with, say, $5 off. If it's an emphatic no from the door, then have a great day.

The bottom line is that if the people come in miserable no amount of Vibe or Boldness will change that.
 
There is a difference between following the policy and downright handing scammers money. The point of "Be Bold" is to eliminate backups and gust dissatisfaction from petty price changes. A week old expired coupon for 50 cents is not going to kill us. Changing a $500 vacuum to $450 is not going to kill us. However, letting blatant scammers and return frauds is not the point and at my store is not letting that happen, and yours shouldn't either. Our ETLs have made it clear that "frequent fliers" who constantly challenge prices every time they shop in ways that are not honest are not welcome in our store. If we notice this behavior we are to notify our ETL-GE or our APTL and they will inform that guest that if this continues they will not be allowed back.

The problems I have noticed with this rollout are simple and depend on one's level in the company:

- GSAs and Cashiers for the most part seem deadset on "catching" people and still call for stupid price discrepancies and examine every coupon like it's some sort of binding legal document signing their life over. This is the kind of stuff that "Be Bold" is designed to prevent because it's foolish and short-sighted behavior from team members who should be facilitating guest transactions instead of holding them up.

-ETLs and GSTLs sometimes take it too far and fail to use common sense to stop dishonest guests who aren't looking to spend money at Target, but instead are looking to exploit money from us. I get that long term we need to fix Target's reputation among consumers, but allowing fraudulent returns and blatant price challenges is not the point of this.

While I agree with the consensus that the long-term implications of this were not fully considered by corporate, I do agree that in the short-term we as team members need to stop the petty "challenges" to our guests and let it slide. Only the people abusing the system or attempting to rip us off blatantly are the ones we need to be stopping. You all know I'm not a Kool-Aid drinker or a corporate apologist, but the fact is that Target's reputation took a big hit from the credit breach and they need to buy back the goodwill of the consumers.
 
I tell my team (E&E) to be bold where it counts.

I like that!

- GSAs and Cashiers for the most part seem deadset on "catching" people and still call for stupid price discrepancies and examine every coupon like it's some sort of binding legal document signing their life over. This is the kind of stuff that "Be Bold" is designed to prevent because it's foolish and short-sighted behavior from team members who should be facilitating guest transactions instead of holding them up.

-ETLs and GSTLs sometimes take it too far and fail to use common sense to stop dishonest guests who aren't looking to spend money at Target, but instead are looking to exploit money from us. I get that long term we need to fix Target's reputation among consumers, but allowing fraudulent returns and blatant price challenges is not the point of this.

Exactly. I have a pretty good grasp of what is reasonable and what's not... I have no problem accepting a recently expired coupon, taking one for a slightly different product (different size, confusing descriptions, etc), or doing a price adjustment for 99 percent of people, but I have a hard time following the new policy when my ETL has told me to take a known coupon frauder's FAKE $15 off a dvd coupon that doesn't register on our scanner. I will finish their transactions and returns, but I have been instructed by AP to not give them any leeway by following the coupon policy strictly when I see these people. I'm expecting to see some issues arise between our 7+ year APTL and newbie ETL-GE... It'll be interesting to say the least.
I'll admit my last message was fueled by my dislike for my ETL, so it was neither coherent nor rational haha.

OP, I have a small feeling that "Be Bold" was rolled out in response to our bad publicity and because the Vibe wasn't exactly yielding the results that they wanted...
 
When I worked at Office Max, I remember those HDMI cables had some huge margins. Is there any way to look that up at Target?
 
@konk The ap inventory tool has all that info.

I was actually going to say it would be awesome if the register let us know the company cost on items so we could make better decisions. I always use the AP tracking tool to see how much an item is before I make a large purchase at Target. That way I know if I personally could get a better deal someplace else online. I also use it to help guest if I know they complain about a price on a high mark up item I vibe with them and correct it knowing the company still made money on the item.
 
I guess I just don't see how be bold is any different from the vibe, which is no different from fast, fun, and friendly. We have always been empowered by the company to do what is right for the guest within reason. Some stores might have just not allowed tms to make those decisions. The majority of guests are pleasant and "follow the rules."

Being bold is not about letting people scam the store with fraudulent coupons, give them TVs for half off, etc. it's about being accountable for our mistakes and shortcomings, making the shopping experience as hassle free as possible, and doing right by the guest.
 
What is the ap inventory tool?

It is on workbench. It tracks the inventory #'s for you store what your supposed to have instock, it also tells you how much it cost the company for each unit. I always used it for personal reasons, it would be great if it was easier to use so we could use it for guest assistince
 
How can employees be "bold" when they are "coached" (or whatever silly word they are currently using) for attempting to break out of zombie mode & take initiative?

I think telling employees to be "bold" is just another way they will try to dispose of employees that are earning more than a new employee will make.
 
Anybody read this? It's about "empowerment" for every team member to solve problems so we don't have to call TL's and LOD's. I guess we've had complaints about returns, price matching, and signs for x dollar gift cards in our surveys. As a result we started this whole "be bold" policy. WTF?

I always tried to do this unless it seemed shady, but every time I refused and a manager was asked for, the LOD/TL gave it to them, every time I gave it to them based on their example, I was wrong to give it. It's okay when an LOD/TL gives it, but not me I guess.

Now, I've been doing exactly what I was instructed to do. I just gave it to them. I see this as a huge mistake. Either our guests don't know how to read signs. Or they do, and will start lying through their teeth to get gift cards... Stupid, "WELL THE SIGN SAID IT BACK THERE!!! COME WITH ME AND I"LL SHOW YOU!!" "Mam, I just had a team member check, he said it was signed properly. You need a smart phone to get the gift card." "COME BACK THERE WITH ME AND I"LL SHOW YOU!!" "Mam, I can't abandon the service desk." "I WANT A MANAGER!"

Lately, I feel like Target is the new Navy. "It's not a job, it's an adventure."

I am. however. happy about being able to enter ID's without a supervisor override for a change.

What are your thoughts on the "BE BOLD" concept?
 
Being bold sounds just like empowerment to me. I've been with Spot for a very long time and this has been around for longer than I have. Apparently I've got this! It has always irritated the crap out of me to be called to the lanes for a price check, etc. for less than $10. Call me and tell me to check signage or zone, but just fix the damn thing and move on. The lanes are a final impression. Make it a good one. Why do you all take this like someone is trying to scam you personally?? (Not "you", just how I feel when this happens!)
 
it sounds about the same as far as its implementation in my district.

they are pushing service desk TM's to now work as greeters and red card pushers in front of the desk on your down time. its silly and reminds me how obsessed with red cards my stores ETL's are. also, if you want a greeter, hire one.
 
Oh, God...I greet and "say goodbye" as I step out to put carts away...that's enough for me.

My GSTL had to formally do a write up for a cashier for refusing to be bold. He said he hated to do it for such little crap, but didn't know what else to do. I'm not sure what the precipitating event was, but she is one of our little old lady cashiers who absolutely refuses to give an inch (we all have them). She was doing better with me when I told her point blank last month that I didn't want to hear about any price changes under $20 and she was to do it, no matter what. But I guess after being told point blank to just do it and stop arguing by both GSTLs and the ETL-GE, she was still resisting. And my GSTL said the ETL-GE and the STL have him by the neck that we all need to be bold and just do it.
 
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